Research: Courage, Sacrifice, and Survival

“Professor Hearst was in connection with Elly’s daughter—he wanted to write something about it and do more research, and asked me to come aboard—he knew I was really passionate about World War II and remembering stories of Holocaust survivors, and I was very excited to take on such a journey.”

Those are the words of Pforzheimer Honors College and Philosophy and Religious Studies major Angelica Roman ’19. Roman assisted Professor Elliot Hearst in the research paper titled Escape from The List: Courage, Sacrifice, Survival, which tells the story of Holocaust survivor Elisabeth (Elly) Rodrigues Lopes de la Peña, a Jewish girl living in the Netherlands, whose family had escaped Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.

Elly, who was able to survive the Holocaust in part through the generosity and courage two separate Dutch families, had a similar upbringing in Amsterdam to Anne Frank. As Hearst notes however, his mission was to bring to light stories that might not be as well known, or even undiscovered, and thus embark on a story of “courage, sacrifice, and survival.”

Aided in part with a student-faculty research grant from the Office of Student Success, Hearst began by taking a trip right down the block to the Anne Frank Center with his ENG 120 students, which included Roman, in the spring of 2016. At the time the class was studying Frank’s writings and the brave citizens that helped hide her.

“We took a trip to the Anne Frank Center, which is only a block away from the New York City Campus. There I made a contact with the education director who provided me with an introduction to the folks who run the Anne Frank House over in Amsterdam,” says Hearst.

From there, through a serendipitous connection, he was able to establish contact with Carolyn Stewart, Elly’s daughter.

“Carolyn and I started corresponding, and that’s how I learned about Elly’s story. Carolyn traveled up from Maryland to New York just to meet with myself and Angelica,” says Hearst.

Hearst then proceeded to travel to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and uncovered a number of artifacts and details related to Elly’s story, and he and Roman began piecing together a narrative.

“We had an entire layout of the story of Elly, given to us through meeting with Carolyn,” says Roman. “What I primarily did, was I looked more into the stories that needed to be explained more thoroughly.”

Among these stories include that of Bert Bochove, a Dutch pharmacist who managed to hide 37 Jews in his own home in over the course of the Nazi occupation. Bochove and his wife, Annie, initially hid Elly, her brother, and her parents as the conditions around Amsterdam grew dangerous. As Roman uncovered, Bochove hid the Rodrigues family in an attic above his store which they shared with another family—and as the paper notes, the family had to lie still for eight hours when Bert’s store was open during the day.

This is just one among the many other heartbreaking, courageous, and inspiring anecdotes that make up Elly’s story. In the 40 page research paper, Hearst and Roman chart the progression of Elly’s time in hiding, culminating in the Nazi defeat, her subsequent adoption by her caretaker Margriet Bogaards, and her eventual marriage to fellow Holocaust survivor Ernest Cassutto—with whom she moved to America.

The paper is a detailed exploration of one of the world’s darkest times, and highlights a number of individuals who displayed remarkable courage in the face of grave danger.

Roman, who hopes to attend law school following her time at Pace, viewed this research project as an invaluable experience that will help her along her Pace Path.

“I can definitely say that I went into some legal background concerning WWII, and included that in the story of Elly. I came into Pace wanting to go to law school, and after researching with Professor Hearst, I definitely want to continue that pathway to law school.”

All in all, the mentor-mentee relationship that was fostered through this student-faculty research project proved extremely fruitful, and produced an end result Hearst and Roman are quite proud of.

Says Roman, “Professor Hearst’s goal was to tell this story in a compelling manner. We spent countless hours e-mailing, working, trying to really do justice to such a beautiful story. Seeing the end result—seeing our final report all together—has made me immensely proud in being involved in a Dyson Humanities Studies research project.”

Admission Event

Graduate Open House: 10/12 (NYC) and 10/25 (PLV)

Admission Event

Ready to take your career to the next level? Learn about Pace's 60+ advanced degree programs, and meet with admission counselors, faculty, students, and financial aid reps at our Graduate Open House on October 12 in NYC and October 25 in Pleasantville.

Event

Cybersecurity Conference: October 6

Event

Join the Business Council of Westchester and Pace University for CyberStorm: Cybersecurity in Business Conference on Friday, October 6, on the Pleasantville Campus, featuring guest panelists and keynotes by experts Cy Vance Jr. and Timothy T. Lunderman.

Admission

Transfer Tuesdays This Fall

Admission

Thinking about transferring to Pace for spring 2018? Bring your application and supporting documents to an accelerated admission day (October 17 and 31; November 14; December 5), and we will waive your application fee and provide you with a same-day decision.

Athletics

Women's Basketball in Barbados

Athletics

The Pace University women's basketball team recently returned from a trip to the Barbados, where they played three games against the combined junior and senior players of the National Team and held a free youth clinic for more than 80 kids ages 5-13.

Open House

Master's in Finance for Professionals

Open House

Learn more about Pace's Master's in Finance for Professionals (MFP) program, which can be completed in just one year of online learning with six weekend residencies, at Open Houses on October 11 (online) and October 21 in NYC.

Video

Lubin Means Business

Video

"Connections." "Focused on my success 100%." "Entrepreneurial." "A community of go-getters, achievers, hard workers." "Opportunity." "Pace will open new doors for you and help bring your passion to life." Hear what students are saying about Pace's Lubin School of Business!

Students Speak

Niamh Fitzsimon, Generation Google

Students Speak

Computer Science and Art double major Niamh Fitzsimon '18 is one of the many successful women in tech at Pace and she's making sure the world knows it, spending her last three summers interning at Google offices around the world: NYC, Mountain View, and Stockholm.

News

Welcome President Marvin Krislov!

News

The Pace Community is excited to welcome Marvin Krislov as the eighth president of Pace University. Krislov, who served for 10 years as the president of Oberlin College, began his term on August 1, 2017.

Students Speak

James Best '18, NBC Sports intern

Students Speak

“My decision to come to Pace is the reason I am where I am today, and the University was vital to my success because it offered me the resources and support necessary to succeed in my academic and professional career."—James Best '18, Digital and Editorial Intern, NBC Sports

Student Success

Setting the Pace for Women in Tech

Student Success

"When I first came to Pace, I knew this was the place for me." From raising the profile and supporting the success of women in technology to working on cutting-edge projects around the world, find out how Pace student Ava Posner '18 is finding the code to success.

News

Inside the Actors Studio's Emmy Nod

News

Inside the Actors Studio has been nominated for its 20th Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series or Special. Filmed on Pace's NYC Campus, Inside the Actors Studio serves as the craft seminar for students of The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.

News

Pace's Elephant Act Passes NY Legislature

News

The Elephant Protection Act, penned by Pace Environmental Policy Clinic students, passed the NYS legislature and is with Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his signature. Once signed into law, the bill will make NY the first state in the nation to ban the use of elephants in entertainment.

Video

Student Address: "Be Extremists for Love"

Video

In a moving Commencement speech, Pace student Jordan Gonsalves '17 urges the Class of 2017 to be extremists for love. "Being an extremist for love means that we use our privilege to raise others up. Being an extremist for love means that we don't call them out, we call them in."

Video

"Documemories": Alumni Look Back

Video

13 years ago Professor Maria Luskay, EdD, started the Producing the Documentary course, which has taken Pace students around the world. Hear from alumni who travelled to exotic locations and produced some of Pace’s most impactful and relevant short films.

Award

Pace Students Win National Competition

Award

Christina Thomas and Rowan Lanning won the national Project Pericles Debating for Democracy competition, earning praise for their proposal to require an Environmental Impact Statement for the Coast Guard's controversial Hudson River anchorage plan.

News

A Leader in Cyber Defense Education

News

In recognition of Pace's role in cybersecurity education and research, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated Pace as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.

Video

Pace + Billion Oyster Project Focus on STEM

Video

Check out the National Science Foundation (NSF) video “Hands-on learning research that benefits the economy, environment," featuring the work of Pace University and the Billion Oyster Project that's giving urban middle school students a hand in restoring oyster habitats.

News

Best Theatre College in New York State

News

OnStage has named the Pace School of Performing Arts the “Best Theatre College” in New York for 2017. “This recognition is testament to Pace University's deep and expanding commitment to the arts,” said Jorge Cacheiro, Executive Director of the Pace School of Performing Arts.

News

Pace Enviro Clinic Fights for the Hudson

News

A Pace Environmental Policy Clinic study found that the Coast Guard blocked public access to information in the Hudson Anchorage controversy and students are petitioning the agency to withdraw their proposal to create 43 anchorages for oil barges on the Hudson.

Brochure

Get Ready for the Real World with Pace Path

Brochure

Pace has a plan for your success—in the classroom and beyond. Read all about the Pace Path, a road map of strong academics, real-world experiences, and mentorships that provides a unique professional foundation so that all students are market ready upon graduation.

News

Pace Opens First NYC Design Factory

News

Pace opened the first-ever Design Factory Global Network (DFGN) institute in NYC, only the second DFGN hub in the United States and the eleventh in the world. This collaboration connects Pace students with companies all over the world to provide creative solutions to real, design-based problems.

Virtual Tour

A Peek Inside the Pleasantville Campus

Virtual Tour

A close-knit collegiate campus lifestyle with access to all the dynamic professional and cultural opportunities in the New York metro area. Pace's newly revitalized, 200-acre Pleasantville Campus gives students the best of both worlds. Take a virtual tour right now!

Video

Clinicals at Pace University

Video

"The best and the brightest" is how one Chief Nursing Officer describes Pace's Lienhard School of Nursing students. Hear students, hospital executives, and alumni describe their clinical experiences through Lienhard at hospitals in the New York metro area.

Academics

Pace Undergraduate Majors at a Glance

Academics

undergraduate majors and combined degree programs. From acting to arts and entertainment management, forensic science to health science, explore your interests and talents and choose a degree that's right for you.